A ROW has erupted over the cost of a new CCTV system in the Ribble Valley amid concern that it might not be the best way to tackle crime.

Nine CCTV cameras installed in 1994 will be replaced in Clitheroe and an additional 11 cameras will go up in the town and Whalley, including four in the grounds of Clitheroe Castle.

There will also be three "roving" cameras for use at trouble hotspots as part of the £600,000 scheme

But one Ribble Valley councillor has expressed concern about the rising cost of running the system when it gets off the ground in September.

Coun Allan Knox, who represents the St James's ward of Clitheroe, said he was concerned that the system was now expected to cost £72,000 a year to run, as opposed to the original estimate of £50,000, after it lost some grant subsidies.

He said: "I am concerned about the cost of the current system, particularly in light of a recent report from the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. It questions the value of CCTV and claims it doesn't necessarily stop crime.

"Perhaps CCTV isn't the crime cure-all that people think."

But Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "We need more CCTV and improved street lighting. Anything that reduces crime must be welcomed. How ironic that NACRO is questioning the effectiveness of CCTV when government figures reveal that burglaries and street muggings are soaring."

Use of CCTV as a crime-prevention measure in the UK has soared from 100 cameras in 1990 to an estimated 40,000 cameras by the end of 2002.

NACRO spokeswoman Rachel Armitage said: "It would be foolish to claim that well-planned CCTV can never have an impact,but its effectiveness is often overstated.

"This replaces a big responsibility on councils to think through the implementation of CCTV and ensure that it is not favoured in place of cheaper and more effective measures, such as adequate street lighting."

The Clitheroe and Whalley scheme is one of only four in the North West to get a share of £79million earmarked by the government. Clitheroe and Whalley chambers of trade, the Ribble Valley Licensed Victuallers Association and Clitheroe's three supermarkets have promised to help fund the running of the scheme for the next three years.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are constantly evaluating CCTV and trying to establish what works, where and why."